Today’s Reading : Isaiah 25:1-9

Isaiah 25:8-9

 He will swallow up death forever;

and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,

    and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,

    for the Lord has spoken.

It will be said on that day,

    “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.

    This is the Lord; we have waited for him;

    let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”

With summer in full swing, we have enrolled the kids in the summer reading program. One of the books that the girls love to read is Dr. Seuss, “ Oh, the places that you go”. This outlines the different places that you can go throughout your life. While summer is ramping up, we also have more time to be out and chat with friends and strangers, “Oh, the conversations you can have” .

Every day there’s so many conversations that we have with each other. There are conversations we have with our kids. Their conversations that we have with our spouses. There are conversations that we have with our relatives. There are conversations that we have with our colleagues. There are conversations that we have with strangers, otherwise known as unknown acquaintances. Of these conversations, one of the subjects that has come up in the past several weeks has been:  What happens in the afterlife or when we pass away?

It’s interesting when we have conversations with our kids and the thought process that they have about certain things. My youngest child brought up the topic of Heaven a couple days ago. It’s really interesting how they come up with the topic, but we just listen and talk with them. When she was describing Heaven, she said that she remembered it before she was born. She remembers sliding down a slide. She also remembers how she remembers Ruby, her sister playing with her in Heaven.  This conversation has me really thinking about eternal life.

Just a couple days ago, I was talking to a random person and we were talking about how amazing God is and how infinite his presence is. We spoke about how God has created time for us, in order that we are able to grasp a little of the infinite knowledge that he has available to us. But God is outside of time. God made time. If God made time, then when we are with him we are outside of time. Take a moment to think about this. When we pass away from our earthly vessels, we are physically with God. In that instant we are there with Him and His glory. In that instant we are outside of time. When we think about our loved ones who have passed away, they are instantly there with God in that moment. And when we transition to Heaven, it would only be like a second or a moment has passed for them, but for us it may be 20,30, 40, or 100 years later.

These conversations and our readings from today from Isaiah Chapter 25: 1-9, all show how God is in control of all things. God swallows up death and destruction.  God replaces all of the pain and hurt that we go through on a continuous basis with Grace and Mercy.

In this chapter of Isaiah and the accompanying chapters ,24-27, Isaiah  is shown the end of times in what is known as the “Isaiah apocalypse”. The confident thing that we have to see here is in the midst of all of destruction and devastation: God is still in control. In the end of everything God shows us that we are in the midst of his presence and fullness of his glory. Even before time was created, He understood the goodness and a grace that he was going to give us.

 Let us not be dismayed by the catastrophes, and the hurt, and the pain, and the isolation, and devastation that we may experience today. Because in the end God has it under control. He has a beautiful feast ready for all to enjoy. Oh, the places that we can go; Oh, the conversations that we can have…  to experience the joy of God.

Be Blessed

Today’s Reading : Joel 2:1-17

As a father, when I read the Bible and other literature, a part of me wants to figure out how I can relate this to my children or to others to help them to understand what the author is trying to relate. As I read Joel chapter 2, the most relatable scene would be that of the juxtaposition of a volcano and paradise.

Just a couple weeks ago, a friend and I were sitting and chatting. As we chatted we found ourselves quoting Disney movies. One of the movies was Moana. We talked about oceans and volcanoes. In Moana, the heroine is in search of a volcano and attempts to bring closure to the grief of the volcano. Moana finds the volcano, but so much grief and time has gone by that the volcano is now sunken into the ocean. Moana has this small piece of the volcano,the heart of the island “Hope”, and replaces the hope by faith and restores the volcano to paradise. The resolution of the story is the volcano and the terror that she was confronted with turns into paradise.

Joel 2:1-17

Blow a trumpet in Zion;

    sound an alarm on my holy mountain!

Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,

    for the day of the Lord is coming; it is near,

2 

a day of darkness and gloom,

    a day of clouds and thick darkness!

Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains

    a great and powerful people;

their like has never been before,

    nor will be again after them

    through the years of all generations.

3 

Fire devours before them,

    and behind them a flame burns.

The land is like the garden of Eden before them,

    but behind them a desolate wilderness,

    and nothing escapes them.

4 

Their appearance is like the appearance of horses,

    and like war horses they run.

5 

As with the rumbling of chariots,

    they leap on the tops of the mountains,

like the crackling of a flame of fire

    devouring the stubble,

like a powerful army

    drawn up for battle.

In chapter 2 of Joel,  imagine a volcano erupts and takes over the island. The volcano eruption is not planned and it cannot be hindered. The complete demolition of the island is inevitable and there is no hiding. You have to evacuate. The people are not safe. The houses are not safe. The island is not safe. 

The sky turns black, the army and enemies of the people are chasing down the mountain synonymous with the lava flowing down the mountain and nothing can stop it. But in the resolution,  God shows paradise in the promise that we have available to us. And this is not a promise that is hinged on something that we have to do, but it is a promise that God gives us.

Joel 2 :12 – 13

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord,

  “return to me with all your heart,

with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;

13 

    and rend your hearts and not your garments.”

Return to the Lord your God,

    for he is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;

    and he relents over disaster.

In this passage I believe Joel is trying to convey that we should not fear the past or what things may come. But we should hold onto the promise which God has given us. In this passage Joel outlines what God has promised for us in the midst of the potential for danger and for fear.

This particular passage resonates with me currently because of the past years that my family has experienced. We have had so many hard times in the past year that we can get overwhelmed with the thoughts of the past year, five years, even ten years. If we have remained in these memories, we would not be able to see the goodness that God has given us in the midst of the tears. Last year, Ollie had some major seizures and health conditions. Four years ago, our friend almost died while giving birth to her daughter. Six years ago, Oliver had a three-week stent in the hospital with major surgery and was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. Seven years ago, Nadya was baptized. Eight years ago, Ruby was baptized. Ten years ago, Oliver was hospitalized for three weeks and diagnosed with a milk protein allergy. Ten years ago, Oliver was baptized.

But today we are experiencing the promise of God: healthy children, our friend is celebrating her daughter’s fourth birthday. The kids are playing and each night I am able to kiss them goodnight and tuck them in. I don’t take these for granted. I smile with tears flowing knowing that I am experiencing the goodness and grace of the promise. We know what we have experienced, but I cherish the expectation of the promise.

Be blessed.

Today’s Reading: Psalm 103

Psalm 103: 1- 5

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

    and all that is within me,

    bless his holy name!

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

    and forget not all his benefits,

who forgives all your iniquity,

    who heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the pit,

    who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

who satisfies you with good

    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s

A brief outline of David’s life: 

• The youngest of six brothers
• He was placed in complete isolation from the family as a shepherd.
• Serving his brothers in the midst of war and not being able to fight.
• Defeated a giant.
• Becoming a musician to the king.
• Becoming best friends with the prince.
• Becoming the son-in-law to the king.
• Running for your life from the king.
• Committing adultery.
• Committing murder.
• Losing your child as a baby.
• Losing another child.
• Running away from your son trying to murder you.
• Having a kingdom.
• Loving God.

This is just a brief outline of the life of David, the king of Israel. Throughout his life he experienced so many lows and highs. Some of the lows and highs that he experienced gives us a glimpse into his heart and his devotion to God. By no means, did David have an easy life. The majority of David’s life he was running for his life, literally. He did have some peace, but many times in his life he was being tripped and tried and trapped by the “fowler”. He did not have true peace that he was able to give himself. The only peace that he could get was from God. It may be because of all of his tribulations that is why he loved God so much and was able to truly understand God.

The 103rd psalms is a reflection of his true devotion and his love for God for everything that he had experienced through his life. We can have days, weeks, months, and years of tribulation and hardship and sometimes we question how this is working for God. When we think of David and look at this song we have to be encouraged that we will endure many things. Hopefully we won’t have to endure the same trials and David did, but we will have our own trials and tribulations that we will be faced with. We have to understand that it is not through our own peace and understanding that we are able to get through these hard times, but it’s only through God’s love that is within us.

Today’s Reading: Leviticus 16:1-19

Atonement. When you hear this word or think of this word: visions of isolation, despair, desolation comes to mind. These are the same images that we think of when someone loses a family member, especially a child. This loss can be emotionally loss, spiritually loss, mentally loss, or even physically loss. The myth of these losses is that you are alone and no one can understand you or the needs that you are going through. This is a very hard place and difficult place to comprehend and cope.

This past week, my family and I were blessed with a magical blessing. We have met the criteria with Ruby’s and Ollie’s health condition to be recipients of Make-a-wish. Ruby’s wish was to go to Disney world. Both of the children’s conditions are genetic and non terminal, but they had the chance to do something that was top of their list. As part of the this beautiful organization, there is another organization called “Give Kids the World.” This entire experience is so surreal. Both organizations are made to give hope to all kids no matter their abilities.

Give Kids the World, GKTW, provides unlimited meals and accommodations at no charge to the guest. They are staffed with employees and over 16,000 volunteers. They make the wishes and the week you spend there truly magical. Each week that the guests are there they have a theme for each day. Monday – Halloween, Tuesday-Taco Tuesday, Wednesday- surprise birthday for the imaginary bunny Mayor, Thursday- Christmas, Friday – Fairy Tale day. Each week gives the guest a time that might not come that year for the guest that has a terminal illness. The entire concept of GKTW came from a hotel owner.

The story goes, one day a child had a wish to come to Disney World. The parents called looking for a reservation, but the phone call was not able to go through. The parents could not find a room anywhere in Orlando. Unfortunately, the child passed away before their wish was granted due to no rooms available. The owner of the hotel made a promise that any child that needs a place to stay for a wish, there will be a place for that child. Due to the unfortunate loss of this child a new vision and mission was created that has helped over 170,000 families have their wishes granted. Nothing can take the place of a child, but their lives and legacy can have profound impacts.

In today’s reading we are presented with the loss of Aaron’s sons. These sons had played a very crucial role in the establishment of the Judaism priest duties. They were some of the original priests and keepers of the tabernacle. They are referenced at the beginning chapter of Leviticus. They knew God better than the majority of the people, they were the connection between God and the children of Israel as they assisted their father, Aaron. Unfortunately, they succumbed to their own insights and perished. But the loss of the sons was not the end of the people. God created a new connection to the people. He created a way of renewing the relationship between the people and God. This could have been seen as insignificant, but this is the beginning of how God showed us how to reconnect with us in the midst of our losses, failures and inadequacies.

The loss of anyone is always hard. The loss of children is unimaginable and unfathomable. But in the midst of this heartache, God still finds a way to connect us and create a space where we’re not alone. The diagnosis of an illness or disease seems to isolate us. The loss of a child isolates us from the very people that we still have and love. But when we allow God to work in us, and work with us He will show us that we are not alone. Aaron was not alone in his suffering or his renewal. The first family at Give Kids The World, GKTW, was not alone in their sufferings. We are not alone in our suffering, God has placed others in our lives to give us support in all that we do, all we have to do is listen and sometimes look up.

Be blessed

*The above photo is a collection of stars from the children that have visited the GKTW.  This is a tower that is part of the castle , there are over 170,000 stars here.  Each week there are more multiplied.  Ruby’s was added this week. www.gktw.org

Today’s Reading: Mark 16: 1- 20 

A cup of coffee. The warmth; both the feeling of warmth in your hands and the warmth that you get as you take that first sip. The taste of the coffee. The mellow notes of woody and berries of the coffee. The taste of the cream. Delight of the cream, the body of the cream, the hints of French vanilla. The body reacts to the coffee: the mind is awakening, the warmth of the body from the heat of the coffee, the stirring of the whole being. And, there’s more… As we drink this coffee we are reminded of the ones who made this coffee for us. If at a café, a barista makes the coffee for you. At home, we think of the coffee brewers and the dairy farmers and the sugar farmers. We think of their families in the process that these individuals had to bring us to this one moment in time to enjoy our coffee this morning.

In the simplest of daily tasks, we can see how just in a moment so many individuals are connected to us. This one moment in time we can see how families and generations are connected to us through this simple act. In our reading today we see the resurrection of Christ but through different lenses.

In the original text, we see the three women are coming to prepare a Jesus body on the first day of the week. Mark 16:1-3

When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”

And, there’s more…Next we see the women are greeted by an angel who gives instructions to go tell everyone. Mark 16: 5-7

 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. 

And then there’s more… The three women are given instructions to go and tell Peter and the disciples that Jesus is risen. And, this is the last of the original text. But through recent findings we have found additional text for the Gospel of Mark.

In these additional texts we see three additional appearances of Christ to his followers. Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene. Mark 16:9-11

9 [[Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.

And there’s more… Jesus appears to two of his disciples and followers on the road.

Mark 16: 12-13

12 After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. 13 And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.

And there’s more… Jesus appears to be 11 and gives him the great commission. Mark 16:14

Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. 

And there’s more… With the resurrection we are not at the end of our journey, but we are at the beginning of my journey. From this passage we find that even after the original text was documented there was more found that gives us even a better glimpse of Christ after the resurrection. And every day we can get more glimpses of Christ through everyday living. 

And there’s more… Christ is not finished with us. Christ is continuously remaking us and conforming us for his glory. The glory that started on the resurrection, but continues to us through this help of the spirit of God. Have a blessed Easter season.

Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 32:1-15

Heartbroken. Upset. Distraught. This was one of my first times to really dive deep into the book of Jeremiah and meditate on it and allow it to minister to me. From today’s reading there is a small amount of information about buying a field. This seems like a simple request, but the implications are far greater than just this action. To really understand the small passage you have to dig deep into the full book of Jeremiah which has 31 chapters before this present chapter.

As I read through the entire book of Jeremiah, I was saddened. You can sense the heartache and the disappointment that God had for the children of Israel for leaving him. This is a hurt that father experiences through with losing their child: either by death, estrangement, differences of opinions, or tragedy. It shows the true level of love and despair that God went through with the loss of the love of the children of Israel.

But as we progress through the book, God reminds us of his steadfast love. He reminds us that his love outweighs everything that we can do against him. This also shows how he is committed to his promise to protect us and to advance us. Jer 29:10-12

“For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. ¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare^[a] and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. ¹² Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.

 Jer 31:1;3

“At that time, declares the Lord, I will be the God of all the clans of Israel, and they shall be my people.”

Many times in our lives we need to have something factual and tangible to really understand the spiritual. By having God instruct Jeremiah to buy a field with these certain instructions, God has made a tangible and a real manifestation of his word. There were several prophets at this time and the people needed to see the evidence of God and the spoken word of God. From the action of Jeremiah buying the field that God had witnessed to him through the vision and the manner he purchased the field, this ensured God’s fulfillment of his promise to Israel.

In our society, today it sometimes feels that people are going away from God. Sometimes when you look at the news, it shows that we are going away from the statutes. But this passage is reassuring that his promise is continuously with us. This shows that his promise will be with us as his people. This passage shows us that when we listen to God and do as he has asked us it can be beneficial for all people.  Have you been asked or Are you being asked to buy a field?

Be blessed.

Today we get to revisit one of the most famous parables that Christ spoke about: the Good Samaritan. In this parable Christ tells us who our neighbor is through a parable where an individual is robbed and then not regarded by two individuals: the priest and the Levite walks by, but the Samaritan stops and cares for the neighbor. The essence of the parable is: the most unexpected blessings on a perilous journey.

Here is the account from the perspective of Luke: Luke 10:25-37

²⁵ And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” ²⁶ He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” ²⁷ And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” ²⁸ And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

²⁹ But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” ³⁰ Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. ³¹ Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. ³² So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. ³⁴ He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵ And the next day he took out two denarii^[a] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ ³⁶ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” ³⁷ He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

As I have reviewed and meditated on this parable, I see it from a different and more profound point of view than I did as a child. I’ve noticed as I go older I need to see things in a certain way. I believe that to really understand the full essence and the impact of Christ teachings, sometimes we need to dig deeper to see how these parables were in their original form. We have the luxury of hindsight where we can see things differently, but we must readjust our understanding of Christ’s teaching these words to the crowds and we have to look at it from their point of view. Looking at it from the speaker’s point of view and the audience’s viewpoint is a shift that we must take to see the fullness of the story. We can get some amazing insights from the text but we really need to dig deeper for the true essence.

First tidbit: “going down from Jerusalem to Jericho”. At first glance this may seem like going from city to city. But upon further inspection this one sentence has so much of the weight of the entire parable. This one sentence spoken by Christ held so much gravity. Upon research it was found that when people “went down from Jerusalem to Jericho”. This was also known as “The Way of Blood ” because there was so much bloodshed that happened on this one road that it was stained red.

This road or path is 17 miles long. This is a substantial amount of space that can be inhabited by many different bandits and vandals. One of the most profound and interesting parts of this road is its elevation and height: the total change is 3,600 ft. As a point of reference for this height the third highest mountain in the Alps, which is the Matterhorn, is 3800 feet in elevation. This is the same mountain that many rides at Disney World and carnivals refer. It’s height is so substantial that people know it by it’s name alone. So by this short phrase so much is contained in going from Jerusalem to Jericho. It is a risky and scary place. Christ was making an allusion to the phrase of David’s: “The valley of the shadow of death.”

Second tidbit: This journey from Jerusalem to Jericho was know for many because it was major thoroughfare of travel and many people are on this path going up and down continuously. Because of the amount of travelers and the hidden alcoves this particular place had become a common place for robbers.

This particular traveler in Christ’s parable is so badly mangled and beaten that from a casual observation it looks as if the person was dead. In the Hebrew tradition there are many laws governing purity and cleanliness including us especially with dead bodies. The priest and Levite were too consumed with the right thing by the Law and decided not to concern themselves with checking on the traveler and assumed that he was dead. They allowed their own thoughts and presumptions to prevent them from even checking on the traveler, their “love” of the Law outweighed their love for others. The Law that was given by Moses in Numbers 19 details how to deal with a dead body, and the rituals that you had to perform before you were clean. Interestingly the period that you were able to be found clean was three days.

These new insights into the Good Samaritan makes it even more profound that a person would risk everything to take care of a person. This is a complete stranger to the other. We do not know the position of the stranger, which was completely left out on purpose. The stranger could have been a priest. The stranger could have been a Levite. The stranger could have been a rich merchant. The stranger could be a peasant. But no matter what the Samaritan, who in Jewish society was looked down upon, found mercy on the person regardless of their statute but because of their current need and position.

The stranger actually was the beneficiary of an expected blessing on this journey.

How many times are we strangers? How many times are we the Good Samaritans? How many times have we been the victim and everyone seems to walk pass us without the slightest of glances? How many times have we been affected to the point of death: physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually and we wanted someone to notice us? If we have been through these similar situations, how can we not have empathy and compassion for our fellow neighbors.

Be Blessed

• The picture is that of the Matterhorn.  This is representation of the height of the trail that the traveler was on when the Samaritan found him.